


Queen Of Roses: During

by Wendyeve24



Series: Queen Of Roses [2]
Category: Actor RPF, Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), British Singers RPF, Fashion Model RPF, Lana Del Rey (Musician), Queen (Band)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Arguing, Cheating, Child Loss, Childbirth, Divorce, Drugs, F/M, Flashbacks, HIV/AIDS, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Post-Divorce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-01-30 17:43:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21432190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wendyeve24/pseuds/Wendyeve24
Summary: It's the 80s, and times aren't the only thing that's changing... people are changing too and so are Queen. Relationships are changing... Freddie is hit with several difficulties at this time... but nothing can prepare him for the difficulty of knowing his own mortality. The lights and cameras following every step each member takes, makes life more difficult for the band and their families during these turbulent times. Divorce, betrayal, love, loss, overcoming major hurdles in life, and the knowledge of knowing when you'll no longer be on this Earth... are what these lives are made of. It's a battle during these trying times.
Relationships: Brian May/Original Female Character(s), Freddie Mercury/Original Female Character(s), Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury, John Deacon/Brian May/Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/Original Female Character(s), John Deacon/Original Female Character(s), Roger Taylor (Queen)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Queen Of Roses [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1484630
Comments: 20
Kudos: 7





	1. Living On My Own

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Queen Of Roses: During. I don't have much to say since this is the first chapter. But I do have a couple of warnings: This whole part of the series is dealing with heavy and real subject matters. If you are easily triggered by alcoholism, the subject of HIV/AIDS, the subject of divorce, miscarriages and cheating, then do not proceed with reading this part of the series. The series will have its happy moments with Live Aid and Freddie Mercury x Jim Hutton, but nothing lasts forever and those happy moments will not last long especially with what we all know is coming later on in Part 2 due to the mention of HIV/AIDS. If you have not already, please go back and read Queen Of Roses: Before. QOR: Before is the prequel and first part in the Queen Of Roses series. Trust me, you won't understand what happens in this part of the series with the original characters if you do not read Part 1. So please go back and do so if you have not already. In addition to that Part 1 is serious domestic fluff to the point where it gets cheesy and may rot your teeth, so if you like fluff to that degree go read Part 1 and come back to reading Part 2 afterwards. Anyways, with that out of the way, enjoy chapter one of Queen Of Roses: During. Please give kudos, subscribe if you haven't, comment and give me feedback and bookmark this story to keep up to date.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the 80s, and times aren't the only thing that's changing... people are changing too and so are Queen. Relationships are changing... Freddie is hit with several difficulties at this time... but nothing can prepare him for the difficulty of knowing his own mortality. The lights and cameras following every step each member takes, makes life more difficult for the band and their families during these turbulent times. Divorce, betrayal, love, loss, overcoming major hurdles in life, and the knowledge of knowing when you'll no longer be on this Earth... are what these lives are made of. It's a battle during these trying times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Queen Of Roses: During. I don't have much to say since this is the first chapter. But I do have a couple of warnings: This whole part of the series is dealing with heavy and real subject matters. If you are easily triggered by alcoholism, the subject of HIV/AIDS, the subject of divorce, miscarriages and cheating, then do not proceed with reading this part of the series. The series will have its happy moments with Live Aid and Freddie Mercury x Jim Hutton, but nothing lasts forever and those happy moments will not last long especially with what we all know is coming later on in Part 2 due to the mention of HIV/AIDS. If you have not already, please go back and read Queen Of Roses: Before. QOR: Before is the prequel and first part in the Queen Of Roses series. Trust me, you won't understand what happens in this part of the series with the original characters if you do not read Part 1. So please go back and do so if you have not already. In addition to that Part 1 is serious domestic fluff to the point where it gets cheesy and may rot your teeth, so if you like fluff to that degree go read Part 1 and come back to reading Part 2 afterwards. Anyways, with that out of the way, enjoy chapter one of Queen Of Roses: During. Please give kudos, subscribe if you haven't, comment and give me feedback and bookmark this story to keep up to date.

His vision was blurry at first, everything around him smelled absolutely horrific. He closed his eyes and shook his head before opening them to find nothing but trash around him. He could hear the deafening noise of the city around him, but all he could see was trash. He closed his eyes again. He tried to remember what brought him here, but he was exhausted... more exhausted than he had ever been before. He had performed in front of millions of people in several different countries and had naturally been exhausted after the shows and the tours, but he had never been this exhausted. He felt as if he had been hit by a bus, had a couple of plates smashed over his head and to end it all was forcibly thrown into a dumpster. The first two seemed unlikely, but the third seemed to be very plausible. He tried his best as he lay there, to remember what led him to this very moment... that's right... a huge argument.

"Freddie... I know you're taking time off, but we both know what Munich is all about!" "And what do you think it's all about Mari?" "Partying, hard drugs, wild sex, the gay scene! Freddie you promised me!" "I don't care anymore! I need time away from you! Don't you understand!?" "Freddie, you've become more and more distant these past few years! We have a child! Melina needs her father around!" Freddie turned the corner in one of the many halls in Garden Lodge, he had to find his jacket... he had to get out of here. "So you're just going to walk away from me!? From our daughter!?" "In order to get some peace of mind? Yes! You're suffocating me Mari! I can't take it! I love you and I love Melina, but I can't handle this anymore!" Freddie yelled. "What are you saying Fred!? You can't handle me anymore? You can't handle us anymore? You can't handle our marriage anymore? Or is it that you can't handle the fact you're with a woman anymore?" Marina said between sobs. Freddie stared at her, his expression unreadable. "Mari... I just can't-" "Please... just give me an answer Fred. I don't want any sugar coated nonsense! Just please open up already... I'm listening! Tell me, so neither of us will hurt anymore." Marina pleaded as she looked at him. Freddie felt nauseous, he never said it aloud. He was a grown man and it was the 80's for fucks sake... 1984 to be exact, and he never said it aloud. He didn't want this to end like it did with Mary. But Marina wasn't Mary... Marina was supportive... truly supportive... Tears fell from Freddie's eyes before he spoke with a heavy gut wrenching voice. "I'm gay... I want to be with a man and... and not you." Tears fell from Marina's eyes as she nodded. She knew this day would come, she had anticipated it from the moment Freddie told her he was bisexual. She understood. She wasn't going to yell or scream or hate him. There was no need for that. "Freddie... I love you. I love you so much... go, go to Munich. I... I'm letting you go. Go be yourself, Fred. Go and be your true self. I refuse to hold you back. Go and find yourself a handsome man who loves you for you. Sure, this hurts... but it's not about me, or our marriage, this is going to be about you and I won't hear anything else... I don't want to. I just want you to go out there, be yourself, be truly happy." Marina said as more tears fell from her face. Freddie was silent for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and speaking. "Mari... thank you. I love you, so so much. After we sign the papers when I get back, I want you and Melina to stay here... please?" "Of course Melina and I will stay here, dear. And yes, we'll sign the papers when you get back. Please be safe out there." She said as she walked up to him and kissed him on the lips. He kissed back, his moustache tickling her upper lip. "I'll be safe. Tell Melina that daddy loves her and will be home soon." He said before turning and leaving.

That was the last kiss they shared as a married couple... though their marriage was pretty much over, that kiss had to have been one of the most passionate they had shared ever since they had gotten married to begin with. Freddie's head started to pound. That's when he remembered more recent events... the cocaine... the sex... his solo work in the Munich studio that was going slower than expected but still somehow got done... Barbara... she left him at the club the night before... Winnie... he had sex with Winnie until he felt like his cock would fall off and until his arse was numb... Paul... Paul passed out someplace the night before... Phoebe... Phoebe had phoned the club the night before in an attempt to find him but he couldn't locate Freddie... the studio... he had to get back to the studio. Freddie started to move around a bit, before his hand felt the rim of the dumpster. He was cold, exhausted, hungry, and he missed Melina and Marina... Hell, he even missed his bandmates. His feet finally held him up and he climbed out of the dumpster. He smelled horrendous. It was embarrassing and horrible. Then, in his exhausted brain he came to the conclusion... someone thought he was garbage and they threw him where garbage belonged. Tears ran from his eyes, his throat burned. He felt nauseous and leaned over and threw up in front of the dumpster. Freddie wanted to just collapse and let Death take him, but his instinctual will to live gave him the strength to stand up and walk out of the dingy alley he was in and find a phone booth down the street. "Hello?" "Phoebe?" "Freddie!?" "Yes darling... it's me." "Where are you!? I'll come and get you!" "The nightclub you called last night... I'm at a phone booth near it. C-Come get me... please?" Freddie said in a worn out voice. "I'll be right there! Don't move!" And about an hour later, Phoebe showed up and saw how awful Freddie looked. Freddie stared at Phoebe and wordlessly got into the car. As soon as the car arrived back at the studio, and the two men went inside, Freddie immediately broke down sobbing in a heap on the floor. "Th-They threw me away! Like I was trash!" "Freddie..." "Take me back home! I want to go home! Now!" Phoebe nodded and after Freddie had been thoroughly cleaned up, he was taken back home to Kensington that same day... where the papers were waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a bit of backstory on this chapter... the whole Munich dumpster bit is based off of (what I read on tumblr from an interview Phoebe [?] did a while ago about Freddie's Munich days) basically Barbara Valentin (A German pornstar) was partying with Freddie in Munich and of course they partied hard (sex, drugs, alcohol you name it.) Supposedly she was supposed to be looking out for Freddie in Munich since they both lived together at a house [?] he had bought. They were supposedly friends... until she ditched him at the party and Freddie was alone, high and probably drunk. Supposedly someone took him while he was knocked out or something and carried him out onto the street and threw him into a dumpster. Allegedly he woke up in the dumpster the next morning and poor Freddie was freaked out, scared, didn't know where he was, didn't know where Barbara was, and was inside of a fucking dumpster that he had no idea how he got into in the first place. Somehow he got out and made it to the studio where I think he was working on his solo album Mr. Bad Guy and Phoebe [?] said that when Freddie got there he just broke down and sobbed and said something along the lines of "they thought I was trash (or he said 'they thought I was dead') so they threw me in the garbage." Which is all kinds of heartbreaking and horrifying to even think about. So, that's a bit of backstory on where I got the whole dumpster bit from. Also, don't worry Barbara Valentin and Winnie aren't actually going to make an appearance in the series at all. They're only mentioned briefly. Anyways, thank you for reading chapter 1 of Queen Of Roses: During, and don't forget to subscribe, give kudos, bookmark this story and comment so I have some feedback. More chapters with Part 2 are coming soon! So stay tuned for more!


	2. Death On Two Legs Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary, Live Aid and a hospital visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Child loss in this chapter. This chapter is a two-parter with this one being set in 1985 with a flashback to 1983 and brief mentioning of 1984, and the second part of this chapter being set in early 1986. Also if you couldn't tell already, I hate Mary Austin. So, I painted her in a very unlikable fashion in this chapter. Also there's foreshadowing to events that will connect this chapter with part two of death on two legs. So please enjoy chapter 2 of Queen Of Roses: During.

Mary felt a jealous pang wash over her as she watched from the house connected to the main Garden Lodge house. It should've been her that was completely bare and under Freddie on top of that piano, that hot summer in 1983. Sure, Mary was engaged in 1983 and was preparing to move out of Garden Lodge that same year, but she had just so happened to peek outside the window and see Freddie and Marina having sex in their livingroom. The blonde grit her teeth as she closed the curtains. She shouldn't be with David, she should be with Freddie. Then, 1984 rolled around and she got some relief. She was a married woman while Freddie and Marina were in the process of getting a divorce. Mary secretly relished in that moment when she found out. But she was still unhappy, especially with the fact Marina and Freddie still chose to live with each other even after getting a civil divorce. Then, the beginning of 1985 rolled around. Mary was pregnant and Freddie had a boyfriend, Marina was working on a solo album of her own and Melina was only seven years old. Mary had met Jim Hutton... and acted like she had liked him. She didn't like him, she never liked any of Freddie's boyfriends. She couldn't stand any of them. Jim seemed like a nice guy who seemed to love Freddie and Freddie seemed like he loved him as well, and that made Mary want to pull her hair out. Originally, Mary thought Freddie would only be with Jim for a month and it would be over, she knew that Freddie Mercury could never be in a stable relationship and that it had been a miracle that Marina and Freddie had lasted as long as they had. But she was wrong. Freddie had announced in April of 1985 that Jim was moving into Garden Lodge. Of course Marina was excited about it, and Melina asked Jim if she could call him papa, and he answered with a smile and a resounding 'yes'. Mary felt ill. This was far from normal. How dare Marina allow her child to call that man 'papa' all while simultaneously calling her biological father 'daddy'. It just didn't make sense. Mary made sure she took a nice hot shower when she got home that day after witnessing all of that. That same month, The Roses got together to release a short album that pretty much converted the female rock group to pop group status. Mary watched the televised press conference. "Mrs. Marina Lambrini Diamandis Mercury, is your husband, Freddie Mercury... gay?" A male reporter asked. Lana looked uncomfortable, Dove looked over at Marina for the frontwoman's answer, and Taylor sipped her water nervously. Marina however looked completely unbothered as if she had anticipated that question would be asked. "You know something, I find two things in that question you just asked, utterly disrespectful. First, its Marina. Using my full name is rather childish, they know who I am dear! Second, isn't asking about my husband's sexuality getting quite tiring for you all? He's straight. We have a daughter together, and if I'm not mistaken, I don't think babies are brought to their parents with storks. Our daughter is all the proof you animals need, to know that Freddie Mercury is not gay. Now, I apologize to all you reporters who actually had meaningful questions about our new album... because that tosser just ruined it for all of you. Have a nice day." Marina said into the microphone on the table before she put her sunglasses on and walked out, the rest of the band followed her out. Mary had seen the press conference and thought the damage control was laughable. The press were idiots, how could they not know that Fred was gay and that he and Marina divorced a year ago? She drank her tea and shook her head at how stupid the press were. Though, Mary would never tell Marina that she agreed with her on something. But, what Marina didn't know wouldn't hurt her... and what Mary didn't know wouldn't hurt her either, because Marina didn't like Mary. The blonde was too prim and proper for the brunette. Marina always had a feeling deep in her gut that Mary didn't like her, but she never got confirmation for it... until July 13th, 1985 rolled around.

"And I'm here now with the band, her majesty Queen! Who just ruled the world for twenty whole minutes here at Live Aid!" Freddie's adrenaline levels were whacked out. He felt on top of the world right now. The interview went rather quickly and the boys felt relieved and excited that their set went marvelously. "Thank you all so very much! You four just made history with your performance! Thank you so much for your time, goodbye!" The reporter said excitedly. After the interview, Freddie excused himself to the band's trailer. After stealing a quick kiss from Jim, he asked for some privacy in the trailer, he had to make a quick phonecall.

"Hello?" "Hi darling." "Freddie! You and the boys were amazing!" Marina said. "I'm so glad you liked it darling! Did Melina get a chance to watch it?" "Of course! She refused to rest if she didn't see her daddy and her uncles performing on the telly." "How's she feeling, Mari?" "Well, Joe just gave her some soup, she's watching David Bowie perform now. She had a fever earlier, but after she saw you and the boys perform her fever went down significantly." Marina said. "Oh, I'm so glad!" "How are you feeling, Fred?" "Wonderful! I feel like I own the world and then some darling!" "That's good to hear, dear. Oh, hold on Melina wants to talk to you." "Alright." Freddie said with a huge smile. "Daddy! I saw you and uncle Brian, uncle Roger and uncle John on the telly today! You were great!" Melina said. "Thank you darling! Are you feeling better?" "Yes daddy, I am!" "You aren't making trouble for mummy and Joe are you?" Freddie asked. "No, I've been good. Mummy said I can have some candy when I get better!" "Yes you can darling! What kind of candy do you want?" "Chocolate!" "Alright, I'll buy some chocolate candies for you when you get better." "Thank you daddy!" "Now be a good girl and put mummy back on the phone. I love you." "I love you too daddy!" "Hello, Fred?" "Mari?" "Oh good, I thought Melina hung up the phone. Oh, and I almost forgot to ask... how is your throat holding up dear?" "It's holding up well... though it'll probably be completely shot tomorrow since Brian and I are going back out on stage this evening to perform. And of course I'm going out to celebrate tonight." "Well, I'll be sure to make some tea for you and Jim when you both get home tonight." "Sounds lovely darling. Anyways, I have to go. Kiss Melina for me and tell the cats I said hello. You made sure they watched the performance?" "Of course dear! And I will." "Wonderful!" Freddie said before he heard a knock at the trailer door. "Freddie! Elton John wants to see you and so does David Bowie after his set is done." Phoebe said. "Well, I have to go." Freddie said into the phone. "Alright dear. Have fun! I'll see you and Jim tonight." "Alright... Mari?" "Yes?" "I love you." Marina, who was surprised at hearing him say it, was silent for a few seconds before replying. "I love you too." 

Later that evening, the rest of the band was in the trailer while Freddie and Brian performed. Then, the phone rang. "I'll get it." Phoebe said. "Hello?" "Hello? Phoebe?" "Oh hi Marina! Are you calling for Fred? You know he's back out on stage now-" "Yes, I know that! Listen it's an emergency..." Marina told Phoebe what was going on. "Alright... just calm down. I'll tell him as soon as their set is finished, but it'll take a while for us to get there... they have to sing a song with everyone else who performed today. So just calm down and we'll be there soon. What hospital is it? Alright, I'll be sure to tell them. Goodbye." Roger, John, Jim and Miami looked at Phoebe who had just hung up the phone. "What happened Phoebe?" John asked. "That was Marina... she got a call some minutes ago from David... it's about Mary. She's in the hospital, David said she lost the baby." Phoebe carefully explained. "Oh my god." Roger said as he looked at Phoebe. "Marina and the girls are already at the hospital. They haven't been able to see Mary yet. They had the nannies called to take care of the children except for Melina, Joe and Peter are staying with her." "Fred is going to be devastated." Miami said in a solemn voice.

And he was. As soon as Freddie heard the news after Live Aid was over, the smile he wore after he had gotten off stage was immediately gone. "Where is she? Take me to the hospital, now." He said with a serious look. 

The band soon arrived at the hospital and Freddie barged into the waiting room. "Where is she?" He asked. "Freddie! Thank god you're here!" Marina said as she got up and hugged him. "Mari! Is she okay? Are you alright?" "Freddie I'm fine, and you'll have to ask the nurse about Mary. Last I heard she was awake." Freddie hugged Marina and immediately went over to the front desk. "Hello, I'm looking for-" The nurse looked up from her paperwork and almost screamed. "Y-You're Freddie Mercury! Oh my god! H-How can I help you Mr. Mercury?" "You can help me by finding a Mary Austin. She's a friend of mine." "Oh yes! Ms. Austin, she's awake now too. She's in room 45! Follow me." Freddie and everyone else followed the nurse and went to room 45. Before they entered the room, the nurse turned and looked at the group. "A word of warning... she may be alright physically but mentally... not so much. It's very hard for a woman to lose a baby the way Ms. Austin has, so she may be... not all there mentally. This is her room. If any of you or her need anything at all, there's a button on the wall that will ring the front desk. Visitor hours end soon so if you need help finding the hospital exit remember to press the button on the wall. Send Ms. Austin my regards." The nurse said softly before walking back down the very clean hallway. Freddie took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. "Come in." A male voice said. The group entered the room, Mary lay in a hospital bed with dark circles under her eyes and a surprised look on her face as she saw Freddie enter the room. David sat on a chair next to Mary's bed, with an exhausted look on his face. "Freddie!?" Mary said, genuinely surprised. "Mary! Darling! I'm so sorry this happened to you and David. If there's anything I can do... anything, please tell me!" He said. Mary narrowed her eyes at David and then looked at everyone else. She then set her sights on Jim. "What the bloody hell is he doing here?" "Jim wanted to see you darling. We all came to see you, we were concerned." Freddie said. "Mary... I'm so sorry about this. If you ever need to talk about it with anyone we're all here for you both. I couldn't imagine losing a child, but I know you both will get through this with some time." Marina said gently. Sure, she couldn't stand Mary but Marina wasn't a monster. She wouldn't wish a miscarriage on her worst enemy. Losing a child was just too horrific to think about. "I don't need your pity." Mary said darkly. "I-I beg your pardon?" Marina asked. "I said I don't need your pity!" Mary spat. "Mary... darling... what are you talking about?" Freddie asked carefully. "Let me rephrase that so you'll understand... I don't want your pity! I can't fucking believe you all! Thinking you're some saviors and coming here straight after Live Aid! And Marina don't you dare rub your 'I'm sorry' bollocks in my face! And you, Freddie... oh you're quite the fucking peach aren't you? You just had to bring Jim with you! You're both so fucking happy! You've got it all Freddie Mercury! A historic concert you just did with your famous band, a marriage that recently ended but you got a child out of it and a friend! A big fucking house and a romance with a man who actually loves you! I hate it! You and Marina have everything! And what do I have? Nothing! And I can't stand it! And I can't stand any of you! Especially you Marina! You make me sick! Every time I look at you, you remind me of the life I could have had! But did I? No because Fred was convinced he was a poof, a fairy, a fag! Fuck you Freddie Mercury!" Mary yelled. Roger, Brian and John all looked at each other and their wives before leaving the room first. Miami shook his head and left next. Jim stood next to Freddie, dumbfounded at what he had just heard. Marina glared daggers at Mary, she wanted to choke the blonde out, but instead she wordlessly and murderously stared at her. Freddie looked at Mary, with the most hurt gaze. "Let's go Fred. There's no point in being where we're not wanted." Phoebe said as he put a hand on Freddie's shoulder. He wordlessly followed Marina, Jim and Freddie out of the room after pressing the button on the wall, so they could find the exit. 

After leaving the hospital, the group stood outside for a while. "Well, I'm going to the pub to get a drink. Anyone wanna come?" Miami asked. "Sorry Miami darling... I'm going home. I need a much needed rest." Freddie said as he exhaled cigarette smoke and tapped the ashes from it. "I agree. I feel as if today has been the longest day ever." Roger replied. Then, Freddie started coughing all of a sudden. The cough was light at first but soon progressed into a loud hacking violent cough. "Fred! Are you alright?" Brian asked with a concerned look on his face. Everyone looked at Freddie with concern visible on their faces. "I'm alright darling. It's just my bitch of a throat acting up again." He answered before putting the cigarette out. Brian wasn't convinced like everyone else unfortunately was, that it was just a throat issue. No one with a throat issue coughed like that, he was sure of it. But the guitarist stayed silent, he didn't want to pester Freddie after everything that had happened. The limos soon pulled up and everyone said their goodbyes before leaving. Brian sat in his limo next to Elizabeth, thinking about Freddie and how horrific that cough had been the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you now dislike Mary as much as I do. Also if I may add, Mary never lost a child in real life as far as we know. I just made it up to make her look worse, don't worry she'll be back in chapter three which will be part two of death on two legs. Isn't Melina the cutest though? The next chapters will definitely focus on Melina and her father, so get out some tissues for when those chapters are up. In the meantime, give kudos, comment, subscribe, add to your collections and keep anticipating the next chapter, stay tuned. Thank you!


	3. Death On Two Legs Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheating, tea, and blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to QOR:During! Part 2 of Death On Two Legs. I don't have many warnings for this chapter except for you readers to get your tissues. I hope you enjoy Part 2 of Death On Two Legs.

It was early 1986 and Marina had released her solo album "Night in New York". Two of her songs on the album, "I Can't Let You Go" and "Time Like This" were huge hits. She barely had any time to spend with her bandmates due to them taking time off in the past few years due to their pregnancies or lack thereof. Taylor and John had two more kids after having Cameron, Lana had a daughter with Brian after having Jimmy, and Dove didn't have any other kids after having Rufus with Roger. Marina only had Melina for obvious reasons and she honestly didn't want another child. The girls were having tea in Garden Lodge one day. It was fun until Elizabeth and Dove told the girls some not so fun news.  
"Tell us you blonde bimbo! What's got you so down?" Marina asked. Dove sighed and looked at the girls. "I... I caught Roger in the shower..." Dove started in a slightly sad voice. "The shower? Of course you'll catch him in the shower dear, he's your husband." Marina said jokingly with a smile before sipping her tea. "No... he wasn't alone in there... he was in the shower with Rufus's nanny." Dove said quietly. Marina spat out her Earl Grey. Taylor looked at Dove with wide concerned eyes. "What the fuck!? Are you kidding me!? He- He cheated on you!?" Marina yelled. Dove nodded. "I'm gonna go kill that blonde bastard." Marina said before setting her cup of tea down on the very expensive coffee table, about to get up from the sofa before Elizabeth stopped her. "Marina, that isn't going to fix anything. I mean what the bloody hell are you going to do, kill Brian too!?" Elizabeth said. "What!?" Taylor yelled aloud. Marina looked at the guitarist with wide eyes. "A-Are you telling me that Brian cheated on you!?" Elizabeth sat down and took a deep breath. "He didn't cheat on me." She said in a small voice. "Then what the bloody hell did he do!? Did he cheat or not!?" Marina asked in a slight hysteric and frantic yet angry tone. "He left me. He left me for an actress... do you watch that show, Eastenders?" "I watch Eastenders! Which actress is it?" Taylor asked eagerly. "The actress who plays Angie... her real name is Anita Dobson. I met her recently, she's really nice. I gave her my blessing with Brian, if she's who he really wants to be with then who am I to stop him?" Elizabeth explained. "What about your kids!? What about Rufus? What about Barbara and Jimmy?" Marina asked still in slight hysterics. "Roger and I will settle that during the divorce. He told me he's moving out, he found another house already and we're going to split up the days that Rufus can spend time with me and him. Rufus will mainly live with me though." Dove explained after she took a sip of tea. "Barbara and Jimmy are going to live with me, especially since Barbara is still so young. Brian will visit them since he's moving out too." Elizabeth replied. Marina nodded. Taylor looked at both girls with concern. "I hate that this had to happen to you both... divorce is shit. But as long as things are civil, especially since you both have children then it'll go smoothly, dears." Marina said as she looked at them both. "How did you do it Marina? You made divorce look so simple. You never told us what really happened between you and Fred." Taylor said. "I know. It's private dear, but all I can say is that we calmly discussed it and sure, there were hurt feelings between us but we took our time and tried to come to an understanding with each other. That and Fred didn't want to be alone. He gets deathly afraid of being alone, especially at night. He hates sleeping by himself with no one in the bed beside him." Marina carefully explained to the girls. "So, wait... are you telling us that even after you divorced or separated you still slept in the same bed with each other?" Dove asked since she was confused. "Yes, we slept in the same bed." Marina confirmed. "Was it weird to do that?" Lana asked. "No. Because I took the time to understand why he doesn't like to be alone." Marina said, leaving a bit of mystery on the subject with a small smile adorning her face as she poured herself some more tea.

It was mid 1986, and Freddie's cough still hadn't left. It had only gotten worse. Though, he was thankful that at least one weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Paul had been fired the previous year. The bastard had dragged Freddie through the mud in the press. Luckily, he sued Paul for defamation and won, shutting the Irish snake up once and for all. But now, he had even bigger things on his plate... this damn cough he had... why was it still here? He was in the livingroom when Marina, Melina and Phoebe came into the house. "We're back Fred!" Marina said as she entered the room. "Welcome back darling! How was school today dear?" He asked Melina. "It was boring daddy! Why is school so boring?" Melina said as she ran up to her father. He picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Because, school is nothing like performing for an audience darling. You'll know what performing for an audience is like when you get older though sweetheart." Freddie said. Melina pouted a bit as her father put her back down. "Melina, why don't you go into the kitchen now? Joe made you lunch." Phoebe said as he entered the livingroom. "Okay uncle Phoebe!" Melina said as she skipped over to the kitchen for her lunch. Jim came back into the house after working in the garden. "Hi Jim! How's the gardening going?" Marina asked. "It's going well. It should rain soon so the flowers should get more water than they did this morning. Oh and by the way how are you feeling Freddie?" Jim asked as he walked over to Freddie and kissed him. "Oh I'm feeling right as rain darling!" Freddie teased after the kiss was broken. Freddie chuckled and sat down at his piano in the livingroom and started to play a random piece that came to mind. Jim stood near the sofa furthest from the piano in order to see Freddie play from a distance. Marina sat on the sofa that Jim stood next to, along with Phoebe who sat next to Marina. Freddie continued playing but more intensely than before. Marina smiled as she watched him, he was getting lost in the music. Jim looked on in pure awe, seeing him play with such power and for him to get lost in each flawless note he played made Freddie look almost otherworldly in Jim's eyes. Freddie looked perfect, he looked almost Godlike as the music took him into a different world, a world alien to this one. And yet, the sheer perfection of each intricately placed note that he played, completely crumbled underneath his fingertips as his playing suddenly faltered dramatically as he suddenly paused his beautiful playing to cough up a lung. "Fred!? Are you alright?" Phoebe asked. Jim, Marina and Phoebe all got up to check on him. Joe and Melina heard the commotion and went into the livingroom. Freddie held up his right hand and waved it to signal them to stay away as his left hand covered his mouth as he coughed. Everyone backed away. Melina looked on fearfully at her father. "Melina, go get a cup of water for your father." Marina said. The eight year old girl ran to the kitchen and got a glass of water for her father. She immediately but carefully went over to him and handed him the glass. "Thank you darling." He said in a slightly hoarse voice before clearing his throat and taking a drink of water. He quickly chugged the glass and handed it back to her. Melina then saw something... something she would never forget as long as she lived. It was blood. Blood was on the rim of the glass, where her father had drank from. Melina was young, she was only eight years old... she might've been a young girl who was the daughter of two rockstars, had a stepfather, several uncles and aunts, lived in a huge house with ten cats, hated school and had an ear for music like her parents. She was only eight, but she wasn't stupid. She was young but she wasn't a typical eight year old girl. Her brown orbs looked up at her father's brown orbs. Their eyes met. He looked at her with a strong yet stern gaze that had anyone else would've seen, they would've thought that Melina was in trouble... but Melina knew what Freddie's gaze meant. "Tell no one what you saw." That's what his gaze meant. Melina's blood ran cold. Her father knew that she knew something wasn't right, that something was wrong. He knew that she saw the blood on the rim of the glass. She looked up at him with a teary eyed yet fearful gaze before blinking and quickly running back to the kitchen, the empty but bloody glass in her small hands. 

She had run back into the kitchen so fast that Marina, Jim, Phoebe and Joe hadn't seen the blood on the cup. Melina was in the kitchen, trembling as she picked up some rubber gloves near the sink and thoroughly washed the glass. Meanwhile, her father still sat at the piano, his fingertips on the keys before he caught sight of bloody fingerprints from his left hand on the keys. He quickly and stealthily closed the piano's fall board so no one in the room would see the blood on his piano keys. He got up and quickly excused himself, making his way to the bathroom upstairs. He closed and locked the bathroom door before turning the light on and staring at his own blood adorning the palm of his left hand. He then quickly thought of anything it could be. But the only conclusion he came to was simple... he was probably dying. He quickly washed his hands, watching the blood flow down the drain. He sat down on the closed toilet lid and ran his hands through his hair. He also came to another conclusion, he had to go to a doctor. Then, a knock at the bathroom door broke him from his frantic whirlwind thoughts. He opened it and saw his daughter standing there. "Daddy? I know you're not alright." She said softly as she sniffled. "Sweetheart... come here." Freddie said softly as he lifted her up and held her in his arms. "Are you afraid?" He asked. "Yes." She said with a sniffle. "It's okay to be afraid darling, because daddy is afraid too." He answered. He then suddenly looked at her with an intense gaze. "Melina... I want you to promise me something." She wordlessly looked at him and nodded. "Promise me that you won't tell anyone, not mummy, not papa, not your aunts and not your uncles. Tell no one. Do you understand?" "B-But daddy, y-you're sick!" She said with tears flowing from her eyes. "Don't tell anyone about what happened or what you saw, under any circumstances! Do I make myself clear?" Freddie asked sternly. "Y-yes sir." Melina said as she stopped crying when her father's tone reached a certain stern level in her ears. "Good. I'm sorry I yelled at you darling. Daddy didn't mean to." Freddie said with a sad but apologetic look on his face. Melina nodded again. "After I take care of a few things, maybe next week I can teach you how to play Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano. Would you like that?" He asked as he smiled. "Yes! I would like that!" Melina said with a grin. "Good! You'll have to pay attention though darling. There's a lot of different notes in that song, you can get really lost in it very easily." Freddie explained as he carried a still uneasy and worried Melina back into the livingroom with him.

He felt numb... he was listening yet at the same time he wasn't. He had known people who had succumbed to the horrible disease... some of which were his friends... and now... he had it. "Mr. Mercury you do understand your options right?" "Yes... I do." He answered. He had seen documentaries on television about this but he never thought he'd have what they had... it wasn't HIV... it had been HIV without his knowledge. His knowledge... he could've blamed his knowledge... he could've blamed himself... but he couldn't... it wasn't his fault... but what if it was? No he couldn't have known. Condoms weren't something the gay scene regularly used. He couldn't have known he'd get it. He had been careful, he had made sure to shower afterwards and everything, but showering wasn't the cure. Cure... there was no cure... sure he had options, he definitely had more options than the common man since he was rich but, how far would those options get him? In his mind... he was afraid but hopeful, he wanted the medications, but he also wanted them to use medications they hadn't used on the public yet... not just to help him live maybe a couple more years like the doctor predicted, but to help those who didn't have as many options as him. "You do understand the first steps of treatment, Mr. Mercury?" The doctor asked. He nodded slowly. AIDS he had AIDS... he was afraid but he had predicted his own mortality, he had said it himself... he was going to die young. Now he knew for sure... that he was going to die young.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Subscribe for more, give kudos if you haven't already, comment about how you feel about this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more! PS: Disregard the long notes section about chapter 1 at the bottom thank you.


	4. These Are The Days Of Our Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A man faces his mortality with the remainder of his days. Warning: references to alcohol and suicide in this chapter. Please read with caution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone! This chapter was hard for me to get through since I wasn't too sure where I wanted it to go. Theres multiple time skips in this chapter, each one pretty much documents Freddie's final days. I think you all know what the next chapter will be about. It will take a while for me to get my muse back for this part of the series so the next chapter will come out whenever I feel like writing it. Anyways comment, give kudos, subscribe and enjoy. PS: Mentions of suicide and references to alcoholism in this chapter. Please note that even though it is mentioned, suicide is NOT the answer. There is always a bright light ahead of the dark tunnel, days get better with patience and time. Talk to someone if you ever feel suicidal, remember you have a purpose in this world. Everyone has a purpose. If you ever feel suicidal and feel as if you have no one to talk to, here's a list of suicide hotlines to call. https://ibpf.org/resource/list-international-suicide-hotlines  
Thank you and I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and stick around for more.

"Any way the wind blows..." Freddie sang after playing the last few notes of his magnum opus. "You've done wonderful with the rest of the song darling, now try the last few notes just like I did." Freddie said excitedly as he got off of the piano bench and let Melina sit down on it to play the rest of Bohemian Rhapsody. "Okay daddy." She answered before taking a deep breath and playing the last few notes of the masterpiece's piano parts and singing with her young but soft voice.  
"Nothing really matters  
Anyone can see  
Nothing really matters  
Nothing really matters to me  
Any way the wind blows"  
Freddie looked down at Melina with pride. She looked up at him with a grin. "How was that?" She asked. "That was perfection darling!" He said as he kissed her cheek. "Thank you daddy." Melina said as she kissed her father on the cheek.

Night rolled around quickly and Freddie had called everyone he knew. He had to tell them. "So, why're we all here Fred? You didn't say anything about a party." Brian said as he sat on the couch. "I have something of great importance to tell you all." He said. Marina held Melina close, she didn't know anything about what her ex-husband was about to say. "I want nothing more but to just make music and spend time with my family..." He paused. Dove stared at Freddie, wasn't that was what he had been doing? "This is hard... but delayed goodbyes are hard anyways..." Mary sat there with her newborn son. She and Freddie had recently reconciled after Mary had a healthy newborn son with David that same year, though she never did apologize to Marina and even still, neither of them fancied the other. Elton John sat in the corner with John Reid. David Bowie sat in an antique chair in the livingroom, smoking a cigarette. Jim sat next to Freddie, he was just as clueless as Phoebe, the band, Joe, Marina, Peter, Mary, Mary's husband, Dove, Lana, Taylor, Miami, John Reid, Elton John and David Bowie. "What the hell do you mean by delayed goodbye?" Roger interrupted. "Fred, are you leaving the band!?" He added frantically. "No, darling... never." Freddie answered. "I'm just going to say it... I've... I've got it." Freddie said. "Got what daddy?" Melina asked innocently with a confused look on her face. "I've... got AIDS. You all probably guessed that I've been unwell these several months. I recently went to the doctor and got tested for several things. I even went for second and third opinions... but... there's no mistaking the diagnosis. I have AIDS." He finally said. "Daddy what's AIDS?" Melina asked, her voice echoing through the silent and shocked room. "It's a disease darling." "Will you get better?" She asked. Hearing that question made Marina tear up, because she knew the answer. "I'm afraid not, darling." Freddie said, he refused to say aloud that he was going to die. Brian felt his whole world fall around him and crash to the ground. "Fred I-" "Listen, I don't want to hear any I'm sorry bollocks. I don't want to see any tears, you can cry I just don't want to see it. All I want with the time I have left is to make as much music as I can, and spend as much time as I can with each of you, especially Melina. I don't want to waste any time. Do you all understand?" Freddie said with a determined look on his face as he looked at each and every face in the room. He decided at that moment that this disease would not scare him. He refused to be afraid of it. If he decided to be afraid of it, then that meant it had already won. 

"I... I just can't believe it. He's going to die." Taylor said as she looked at John as he poured himself a drink in their kitchen back at home. "I... I don't want to talk about it." John said as he sipped his whiskey. "Honey... we need to talk about it. What are we going to do when he's-" "I don't know!" John yelled before muttering to himself and tipping the whole bottle of whiskey back. "John!? What the hell!? Stop it! You're going to kill yourself like that! Put that bottle down!" Taylor rushed to his side and wrestled the bottle from her husband's hands. "That's what I want to do!" He yelled as he slammed the bottle down onto the table. Taylor looked at him with tears in her eyes. "What the bloody hell is the use of living if Freddie is going to die soon!? Huh? What's the use!? I have a purpose, I know that... but he helped me find my purpose along with everyone else in my life! He took me under his wing and made me feel like an important person and member in the band! Freddie is like a father to me! And mind you I already fucking lost my real father! Freddie believed in me during the early days when no one else did! And when he finally dies... I... I... I'll be fatherless again... I won't have a best friend like him to turn to... when things get messy... I'll have you... I'm thankful for that but... it's not the same... it won't be the same without him... it'll never be the same..." A now slightly intoxicated John said as he stopped yelling and finally broke down in tears. "John..." Taylor hugged him and held him close to her before he gently nudged her away. He then reached for the whiskey bottle again. "John put that bottle down!" "Leave me alone! I just want to be left alone right now... just let me drink dammit!" John yelled through his tears as he looked at her angrily. "John! I'm hurting too! Believe me... Freddie means a lot to me too! But his impending death that's coming in God knows when doesn't have me in our kitchen about to kill myself with alcohol! John... He's not even dead yet. He may not have a lot of time but we don't know that! We don't know how long he has left! He may have ten years left in him! But Freddie having AIDS and his inevitable death aren't anything to drink yourself to death for! What about our kids!? What am I going to do if you drink yourself to death!?" John looked at Taylor with a tired gaze. He looked as if he had already given up.  
John grabbed the bottle and threw it onto the kitchen floor. The glass bottle shattered into tiny pieces and the brown liquid splashed onto the floor with the glass shards. "Just... leave me alone." John said in a soft but dark voice as he sat there with his head in his hands, his wife staring at him in anger, hurt and worry.

"Freddie... you... you shaved your mustache." Marina said with a bit of surprise as she saw him. "There's no use in keeping it darling. Times are changing you know, I want a new look." Freddie replied with a smile. Marina nodded in understanding. "Mari... you've been quiet." Freddie said as he turned to her. "Fred... what do you want me to say? I knew you were sick... I mean the way that cough sounded... if anything I would've guessed that you had cancer, but... AIDS? Freddie, nobody could've guessed that. Dear, since... we don't know how long you have left, we need to work out your will. If you want to, I won't push you to do it." Freddie stared at Marina. "Darling, I'll handle that myself soon. Not now. There's no use in worrying about it now. I'm still breathing darling. I have time." 

"That was lovely darling!" Freddie said with a huge smile on his face after his daughter played the piano for him. It was 1989, and Queen had recently gotten back home to England from Montreux. Melina was eleven years old and could play a majority of her father's and her mother's songs on the piano and sing them perfectly. "Thank you daddy! I'm glad you liked it." Freddie grinned at Melina. He wasn't content with his fate but he accepted it. But he did resent the fact that he wasn't going to get the chance to see his daughter grow up, get married, have kids, be famous, and just live out the rest of her long life she had ahead of her. "Is something wrong daddy?" Melina asked as her father stared at her. "Hm? No, nothing's wrong darling." He answered as he kissed her forehead.

"The song might be too intense Fred. Are you sure you want to sing it?" Brian asked with a worried look on his face. Roger and John wordlessly looked at Freddie. Phoebe and Jim looked at Freddie with concern as the frontman took a deep breath, propped himself up onto the desk despite his whole body aching, and downed a shot of vodka. He was going to do this, even if it fucking killed him and he died during the recording he was going to do it and get it done. "I'll fucking do it darling." He said as he leaned into the microphone that evening in 1990 in Montreux. That very early morning, he had gone through radiation treatment. No one except Phoebe, Joe, Jim and Marina knew about the radiation treatment. When he wasn't in the studio he was being pumped with medications of all kinds and bed bound. After the recording was done, Freddie waited a bit for it to be played back to him. "It's perfect..." Roger said incredulously gazing at the recorder and at Freddie. "You've got it... all in one take..." John said as he looked at Freddie. Brian was speechless, this dying man in front of him had belted this extremely difficult song to sing and had nailed it in one take. "You know what they say darling... the show must go on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite it being sad and somewhat inaccurate with its events, specifically of how Freddie told everyone. Anyways stay tuned for more! Also please disregard the note from chapter 1 if it shows up, thank you!


	5. Made In Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie Mercury  
1946 - 1991  
"When I'm dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may or may not be the last chapter before Part 3. I purposely made this chapter an inside look at the people in Freddie's life, and I purposely made the ending of this chapter feel as if it's incomplete because even though Freddie lived a full life, his life was cut short... so therefore this chapter is cut short in order to convey that. I hope you enjoy and if you can, donate to the Mercury Phoenix Trust in order to help with the fight against AIDS because no one deserves for their life to be cut short by a horrible disease.  
Here's the link to their website: http://www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com/  
Anyways, with that in mind I hope you enjoy the (maybe) last chapter of Queen Of Roses: During.

She couldn't help but remember those blissful days and nights when Freddie and her were together, in bed, and deeply in love with each other. The divorce happened but their love for each other never waned. He gave her seven years of happiness and gave her a child within that time as well, she could never return her thankfulness to him but to Freddie, knowing that Marina still loved him even if they were no longer married was thanks enough.

Melina was the light of his life. He would willingly walk through Hell and back for his daughter. She loved him immensely and looked up to not just her mother but also to him as a role model. He knew within his heart that she would go on and carry his legacy onward into the future. She wouldn't just be a star, she would become a legend... just like him.

Even though he and Mary had their ups and downs, he still liked her as a friend. She was still there for him, just as he had been there for her in the past. Their friendship throughout it all was pretty strong.

Jim... Freddie loved Jim with all his heart and he knew that Jim loved him with the same fervor. He helped him to face his own truth and be who he really was, and Freddie was glad that Jim had made his way into his life.

Freddie hadn't had much of a relationship with Dove, Lana or Taylor but he could see that they kept Marina grounded and were her true friends, and for that he was happy to have had the chance to have known them.

The fiery blonde drummer had been Freddie's best friend since the beginning. He loved Roger like a brother, and Roger felt the same. Both men had their fun and their share of arguments but throughout it all they remained best friends. 

The tall poodle haired guitarist connected with Freddie on a more soulful level. Freddie had been Brian's shoulder to cry on some nights back when the group all lived together and Brian was in one of his heavy depressed moods. Brian had been Freddie's soul brother, not just through music but through certain shared platonic feelings. Both the guitarist and the frontman were definitely soul brothers.

John Deacon had been young... only nineteen when he met Freddie and joined Queen. Freddie had been his guide and had pretty much acted like a father to him due to his real father's death. Freddie was always there for him. 

Freddie pitied Miami... the fact that the man had to put up with the band's shit and four huge egos made Freddie appreciate Miami for how durable he was and how fatherly he was as well.

Phoebe, Peter and Joe were true friends to Freddie. They were never after his money and only wanted to see him truly smile and be happy... like real friends should. 

The cats were like his children, and they were like brothers and sisters to Melina. Freddie loved them all very much.

His celebrity friends, Elton John, David Bowie and others understood him the most when it came to the stage and the trials and tribulations of fame. 

His family... loved him and were there for him from the beginning. His family... was huge and he loved each and every single last member of his family dearly. 

Melina... he could both just barely hear and see her. He was losing his sight, his foot was rotting away, he was extremely frail and each breath he took was very painful. In addition to all of that his hearing was going too. She sat next to his bedside on that cold November evening, on the 24th of November to be exact in 1991. Phoebe, Dave Clark, Joe, Jim and Marina were right down the hall from Freddie's bedroom. Melina was thirteen years old and watched her father struggle to remain alive in his own bed. "Melina..." "Yes daddy?" She leaned in close to hear him, his voice... the great Freddie Mercury's voice, the legend who had sang so many songs that would stand the test of time, his voice that had spoken its mind in countless interviews, sang with people just as great as him, and both controlled and entertained audiences of crowds upon crowds of people... was now reduced to a frail whisper. "I love you." He said. "I love you too daddy." She replied before kissing him on the cheek. Then, he leaned back with a smile on his face and fell asleep... Melina assumed that her father was just resting his tired eyes... but some hours later after a few excruciatingly painful convulsions, Freddie would fall asleep again... for eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope you'll stay tuned for the rest, because more is coming soon. Please comment, give kudos, subscribe and bookmark this work. Thank you!  
P.S.: Disregard chapter one's note if it shows up because that's a glitch. Sorry about that.


	6. Anyway The Wind Blows...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melina Mercury and the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of part 2 of Queen Of Roses: During. Part 3 is coming soon, it might be coming after the holidays... who knows? I am working on chapter 1 of part 3 though. So stay tuned for part 3 which is Queen Of Roses: After. I hope you'll enjoy this final chapter and I hope you will stay tuned for more, and have a very happy holidays!

It was the afternoon of April 19th in 1992, the day before the Freddie Mercury tribute concert. A fourteen year old Melina Mercury was in the car with her mother. Marina was stewing in her own anger at the thought that Mary had gotten Garden Lodge. There was something fishy about that whole thing, that blonde bitch probably pulled some strings to have that happen. But there was no dwelling on it now, but Marina had some hope that in the future Melina would have enough sense to attempt to sue Mary for every pound she had just so she could get her childhood home back. Melina sensed her mother was angry about something. "Mummy? What's wrong?" She asked. "Hm? Oh nothing dear." Melina looked out the window a bit as the car kept moving to their new house that they had recently settled into. Marina thanked whatever God that she still had a great memory because she remembered that this house had been one of the houses Freddie had toured and actually thought about buying before he decided against it and bought Garden Lodge instead. The house didn't have as much sentimental value as Garden Lodge did, but just to know that Freddie had been there was enough comfort to both Marina and Melina. "Mummy?" "Yes dear?" "Can I be in the concert tomorrow?" Marina's eyes widened in surprise. "You want to be in the concert tomorrow? Dear, the lineup is already finished. It would be too late for you to be put in the concert now." Marina explained gently. "I want to be put in the concert... I-I really do..." Melina said with a sad pout. "Why? Why do you want to be a part of it all of a sudden, dear? And might I remind you, you have school." "I'll skip it then! School is boring! You and daddy didn't finish school!" Melina said stubbornly. "Melina Lambrini Bulsara Mercury! Don't you dare raise your voice at me! And school is there for you to learn things that I can't teach you. And for your information your father and I did in fact finish school. We both graduated college with our degrees thank you. Your father actually had made a pact with the band in the early days to finish college and get their degrees or there would be no Queen, and they all finished college and they all got their degrees and they all turned into legends because there was Queen. So, if you want to be a legend you'll go to school tomorrow." Marina explained with a motherly look on her face. "But mummy... please? I promise I'll study twice as hard the day after. Please let me go!" "Melina, I said no and that's final. Also, you never answered my question. Why do you want to be in the concert so badly?" Marina asked with an eyebrow raised. "To honor daddy." Melina answered softly. Marina looked over at her daughter with an understanding gaze. "Sweetheart, you honor him every day just by being here and just by being yourself. You don't need to do that with a concert. Need I remind you that if I said you can go, it would be your first time performing in front of a huge audience. The show is also going to be live on the telly, and I don't want any of that to stress you out." Marina said as she looked at Melina. "Mummy please! I want to be in the concert! Please let me go..." "No! You don't even know what song you'd sing anyways..." "Bohemian Rhapsody of course!" Melina said excitedly. Marina felt as if she had been repeatedly punched in the gut. She wanted her daughter to be a star but she also wanted her to have an actual job to fall back on in case her fame didn't work out. 

At the mention of Bohemian Rhapsody, Marina was thrown back in time to 1975 when Freddie had played his magnum opus for her in private for the first time, about three months after they had met. She could hear both the emotion and the rawness of his voice conveyed in every lyric, no matter how nonsensical some of the lyrics seemed to her at the time. She remembered asking him after he had finished, "What is it about?" And he gave her his signature smile with those beautiful protruding teeth of his and said, "Darling, it's whatever you want it to be about. If I gave my lyrics a set meaning that would make it boring. The mystery is the fun of it." And he left it at that. Marina had understood but never asked him about it again. After they started dating that same year and after he had revealed to her that he was bisexual, she understood what the song was about, why he wrote it and why he wanted the true meaning of the song to remain a mystery.

Marina sat there next to her daughter with tears in her eyes as she reminisced a bit. "Mummy? Are you alright?" Melina asked as she gazed up at her mother, concerned at her mother's sudden silence combined with the blank look on her face, as if she was somewhere else. "Mummy?" Melina asked again as she tapped her mother's shoulder. "Hm? Yes?" Marina finally answered. "You zoned out... are you alright?" Melina asked. "Y-Yes dear I'm fine." Marina said as she took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. "Melly, I'll call your uncles tonight and ask them if they'll let you be in the show." She finally said. "Really!? Yes! Thank you mummy!" "But, as long as you do your homework!" "I will! I will!" Marina sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the car. "I hope I'm making the right choice." She muttered silently before looking down at her daughter and holding her close, kissing her forehead as the girl giggled excitedly.

"She wants to what!?" Roger asked as he spoke to Marina over the phone. "You heard me Roger. She surprised me too, you know. It completely came out of the blue. Is it possible you, Brian and Miami can fit her into the show somehow?" Marina asked. "Mari, Brian already has Elton John and Axl Rose set to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. He's the one you need to call about this, not me." Roger answered. "Alright, thanks Rog." "You're welcome, and I'm sure he'll let her into the show... if not I'll beat Brian up for her." Roger said. "Thanks Rog. I'll keep that in mind, bye!" Marina replied before she hung up the phone and promptly dialed Brian's number. "Hello?" Anita answered the phone. "Oh hi Anita! It's Marina, is Brian around?" "Hey Marina! Yes he's here, hold on." The line was silent for a few minutes before Brian got on the line. "Hey Marina!" "Hi Bri! Uh listen, I have to speak to you... about the show tomorrow." "Oh yes, the show! It's going to be a smash! What about it did you want to talk about?" "Well, it's Melina... she wants to be in the show." "Maybe we can fit her in at the beginning to do a speech before it starts-" "No Bri, you don't understand. Melina wants to sing Bohemian Rhapsody in the concert." "I already booked Elton John and Axl Rose to sing Bohemian Rhapsody... maybe they could do Brighton Rock or something... I'll let them know that Melina will be singing Bohemian Rhapsody instead. Why did she decide that she wanted to do it?" "She wants to honor her father, it's very important to her... you understand, right Bri?" Marina said. "Yes, I get it. I'll call Elton and Axl and tell them about the slight lineup change. I'll also call Deaky and Miami, they need to know about it too." "Alright, thank you so much Brian!" "You're welcome Mari, and make sure she practices the piece." Marina looked over at her daughter who had been playing Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano and singing it for the past hour. "You haven't heard her for the entirety of our phonecall? She's been playing it ever since her and I got home." Brian chuckled as he heard the girl play and sing the song in the background. "She sounds lovely Mari, I mean it. Trust me when I say... she's going to be a star when she gets older."

It was the day of the concert, and Melina was extremely nervous and excited. "Eat your breakfast dear, it's the most important meal of the day." Marina said as she put her toast, sausage, jam, tea and gravy on the table. "Yes mum!" Melina answered before she chowed down. "Is papa going to watch the concert on the telly?" Melina asked before sipping her tea. Marina constantly worried about Jim, especially after he had gotten kicked out of Garden Lodge by Mary almost immediately after Freddie's funeral. "I'm sure he will, I'll call him up today and tell him that you'll be performing this evening." Marina replied as she resumed eating her waffles. "Okay mummy!" Melina said as she drank the rest of her tea.

Melina practiced until it was time for her to go and meet with her uncles before the concert started. Marina had to stay home with the cats but Phoebe was to accompany Melina to and from the venue. "Are you excited, Melly?" Phoebe asked as the car was on it's way to the venue. "Yes! I am! Oh and thank you for taking me, uncle Phoebe." Melina said as she hugged him. "You're very welcome. You know something..." "Yes?" "Your father would be very proud of you. I'm sure that he'll be watching you perform tonight..." Phoebe pointed his index finger upwards and continued, "from up there, in the sky... in Heaven." Phoebe said to her. Melina nodded and looked out of the window and up to the darkening sky in pure awe.

"Are you ready? Don't be nervous Melly, your father and your mother have done this plenty of times. Don't forget that performing is in your blood." Phoebe said as Melina stood backstage, jumping up and down to get the jitters out. "Yes, I think I'm ready." She answered.  
From backstage she heard her uncle Brian's voice over the microphone. "Now, originally we were going to have one of Freddie's closest friends, Elton John and one of Freddie's biggest fans, Axl Rose come out here to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. But yesterday, I got a phonecall from someone very close to Queen and who was even closer to Freddie. She told me that a certain someone wants to come out here tonight and sing Bohemian Rhapsody... and as this certain someone's uncle, I had to oblige. She's here tonight to sing her father's greatest contribution to music as an artform. Be gentle with her, it's her first ever live performance and with her genes it definitely won't be her last... may I present to you with great honour, Freddie Mercury and Marina Diamandis Mercury's daughter... Melina Mercury singing Bohemian Rhapsody!"  
Melina walked out on stage and waved at the crowd as they cheered for her, she sat down on the piano bench and started playing the piece that was very near and dear to her heart.

As she finished singing the song, as if magically on cue, the spotlight fell on her and she looked upwards to the now dark sky as she sang the final lyric and played the last few notes before the gong was hit. The crowd cheered even louder than before. Melina had a feeling that she was going to be a star, and she had a feeling that her father knew it as well since the spotlight that had shined down on her at the end of the song she would later find out, wasn't planned at all. Her father watched her perform and he was proud, and he had to show her how proud he really was by putting the spotlight on his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 Queen Of Roses: After, is coming soon. It might be coming after the holidays so stay on the lookout for it. I hope you enjoyed part 2 of the series, there's more to come and there's definitely more Melina to go around. Anyways give me comments, feedback and kudos. I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for part 3 Queen Of Roses: After. Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> So, a bit of backstory on this chapter... the whole Munich dumpster bit is based off of (what I read on tumblr from an interview Phoebe [?] did a while ago about Freddie's Munich days) basically Barbara Valentin (A German pornstar) was partying with Freddie in Munich and of course they partied hard (sex, drugs, alcohol you name it.) Supposedly she was supposed to be looking out for Freddie in Munich since they both lived together at a house [?] he had bought. They were supposedly friends... until she ditched him at the party and Freddie was alone, high and probably drunk. Supposedly someone took him while he was knocked out or something and carried him out onto the street and threw him into a dumpster. Allegedly he woke up in the dumpster the next morning and poor Freddie was freaked out, scared, didn't know where he was, didn't know where Barbara was, and was inside of a fucking dumpster that he had no idea how he got into in the first place. Somehow he got out and made it to the studio where I think he was working on his solo album Mr. Bad Guy and Phoebe [?] said that when Freddie got there he just broke down and sobbed and said something along the lines of "they thought I was trash (or he said 'they thought I was dead') so they threw me in the garbage." Which is all kinds of heartbreaking and horrifying to even think about. So, that's a bit of backstory on where I got the whole dumpster bit from. Also, don't worry Barbara Valentin and Winnie aren't actually going to make an appearance in the series at all. They're only mentioned briefly. Anyways, thank you for reading chapter 1 of Queen Of Roses: During, and don't forget to subscribe, give kudos, bookmark this story and comment so I have some feedback. More chapters with Part 2 are coming soon! So stay tuned for more!


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